Thumbs up: To retired Army Gen. John Cleland of Viera, who was one of six Floridians inducted into the inaugural class of the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame in Tallahassee on Tuesday. Cleland fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, ending his 37-year service as a two-star general. But it is the contributions to his community that earned him a spot in the hall of fame. Among his many achievements was helping the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America double its membership during his tenure as president in the 1980s. He is a frequent speaker at civic and patriotic events.

Thumbs down: To Florida Democratic and Republican leaders, who forgot the middle class during four years of sniping over the Affordable Care Act. Their talking points continue to confuse costs to government with costs to patients and policyholders. Democrats say smaller deficits projected for Medicare are proof Obamacare makes American medicine cheaper. The GOP keeps citing state costs to cover more poor people through Medicaid as proof it makes health care more expensive. Meanwhile, millions of private-sector employees and small-business owners will pay even higher premiums and deductibles starting in 2014 - as insurers have warned all along - while shouldering higher taxes to run Medicare and Medicaid.